Development of poly(n-alkylene oxalate)s toward a new kind of seawater degradable plastics

The preparation and development of polyester materials with appropriate degradability, especially in the marine environment, have become the primary choice to solve the problem of environmental pollution in the context of the increasingly popular concept of environmental protection. In this work, a series of sustainable and biodegradable poly(n-alkylene oxalate)s (PAOx) were synthesized with dimethyl oxalate and n-alkylene diols. Special emphasis was given to the studies of the reactivity of diols, thermal behavior, and degradation performance of PAOx. Results showed that the crystallization-melting behaviors of PAOx performed a significant parity effect with various n, which was reflected in that PAOx with n = even had higher crystallization and melting temperatures than those of n = odd. More appealingly, the PAOx with lower n exhibited better heat resistance and outstanding seawater degradability. Accordingly, the current work systematically revealed the influences of molecular chain aggregate structure on the macroscopic properties of PAOx materials, highlighting the potential commercial opportunity of PAOx materials towards seawater degradable plastics.